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This invention relates to protective garments and, more particularly, to a bib having a stain-resistant protective surface and with an integral face wipe of absorbent material that is lodged under the protective surface, and the like.
The requirement for an older person to hand feed an infant between the time that the infant begins to ingest solid food and the time that the child is able to feed itself always is subject to a number of difficulties. Thus, apart from the infant""s acceptance or rejection of the food that is being hand fed, there is a need to protect the infant""s garments from food stains and soiling and, from time-to-time during feeding, to wipe food from the infant""s hands, face and other parts of the child""s body.
To protect an infant""s clothing from food stains during feeding, it has been customary to place a bib about the infant""s neck. The bib has one portion that fits around and is secured to the child""s neck and an expanse of protective material extending from the neck portion that rests on the infant""s chest. This protective material, which can be made of a stain-resistant plastic, a disposable paper, an absorbent cloth or the like, intercepts falling food and drink in order to prevent that food and drink from soiling or staining the child""s underlaying garment.
There is a further need as a part of the hand feeding process, for an absorbent wiping material that will remove the food that invariably adheres to the areas around the hands, mouth, ears, hair and other bodily parts of the child being fed. Ordinarily, the person doing the hand feeding will use a towel or face cloth that is separate from the bib to clean the child""s hands and face from time-to-time during feeding. But this often is awkward, requiring the older person to leave the child unattended in a high chair while obtaining a fresh towel or face cloth.
Suggestions, however, have been advanced to combine a bib and an absorbent wiping material into a single item of protective clothing. One proposal of this nature provides a bib with a panel that extends from the neck portion over the child""s chest. This panel terminates at its lower end in an upturned portion, secured on its two sides to the adjoining edges of the panel to form a pocket between the upturned portion and the adjacent part of the panel. The upturned portion of the bib, moreover, has an apron, not joined to the panel, that bends over and outward from the upturned portion.
The weight of the apron not only draws open the pocket between the adjacent part of the panel and the upturned portion, but also provides an attached absorbent wiping material for the infant wearing the bib.
There are a number of disadvantages associated with this proposed construction. For example, food particles fall into the pocket and lodge there, making a thorough laundering of the bib difficult, if not impossible. The absorbent wiping material, moreover, is in an exposed position, likely to become spattered with food and thus not entirely satisfactory for the purpose of wiping the infant""s hands and face.
Thus, there is a need for a readily launderable bib and wiping material that protects an infant""s underlaying clothing from soiling and food stains while providing an essentially fresh absorbent wiping material for the child.
These, and other unsatisfactory features that characterize various bib structures are overcome to a large extent through the practice of the invention. For example, an illustrative embodiment of the invention provides a neck portion for temporarily attaching the bib to the infant""s neck. Joined to the neck portion is an expanse of protective material that extends across the infant""s chest and has an exposed surface to intercept spilled food and drink.
In accordance with a feature of the invention, however, a layer of absorbent material, generally coterminous with at least a portion of the unexposed surface of the expanse of material that is oriented toward the infant""s chest, bears against another, second layer of absorbent material, the second layer can be borne on the garment that covers the infant""s chest. With respect to the illustrative embodiment of the invention under consideration, these absorbent material layers can be formed from a single, folded over portion of a suitably absorbent material.
When used, the bib is placed on the infant by fastening the neck portion about the neck of the child who is to be fed. The expanse of material that extends across the infant""s chest prevents falling food and drink from soiling or staining the infant""s underlaying garment.
To clean the child""s hands, face and other bodily surfaces, however, and in accordance with another feature of the invention, it is only necessary to lift at least a portion of the expanse of protective material to expose the fresh, absorbent material sandwiched between the protective material and the layer of absorbent material closest to the garment that covers the child""s chest. Either of the two layers of the absorbent material so exposed can be grasped and applied to the infant""s mouth, face or other body surfaces to wipe away adhering food, and the like.
On release of the face wipe material, the expanse of protective material falls back into place on the child""s chest, covering the now soiled absorbent material. This soiled layer of absorbent material is thus sandwiched between the expanse of protective material and the second layer of absorbent material that is borne on the infant""s chest, thereby preventing the food adhering to one or both of the layers of absorbent material from spreading to the infant""s clothing and to other surfaces.
Cleaning a bib, made in accordance with the present invention, is efficient and thorough because there are no pockets in the bib to block the through flow of wash water during laundering because all surfaces of a bib that characterizes the invention are exposed and fully immersible in the wash water.
Further in this regard, a bib that embodies characteristic features of the invention can be made of any suitable material, e.g. plastic, terry cloth, and the like, or even formed as a disposable paper item.
Nor are the principles of the invention limited to children""s bibs, but these principles also are applicable to adult bibs for use by the handicapped, and the like.
These and other features of the invention are described in more complete detail in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, when taken with the figures of the drawing. The scope of the invention, however, is limited only by the claims appended hereto.